We have compiled 10 guidelines for building the credibility of a
web site. These guidelines are based on three years of research that included
over 4,500 people.

Guideline

Additional
Comments

Supporting Research from our lab

1.

Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information
on your site.

You can build web
site credibility by providing third-party support (citations, references,
source material) for information you present, especially if you link to this
evidence. Even if people don't follow these links, you've shown confidence
in your material.

Showing that your
web site is for a legitimate organization will boost the site's credibility.
The easiest way to do this is by listing a physical address. Other features
can also help, such as posting a photo of your offices or listing a membership
with the chamber of commerce.

Highlight the expertise in your organization and in
the content and services you provide.

Do you have experts
on your team? Are your contributors or service providers authorities? Be
sure to give their credentials. Are you affiliated with a respected organization?
Make that clear. Conversely, don't link to outside sites that are not
credible. Your site becomes less credible by association.

The first part of
this guideline is to show there are real people behind the site and in the
organization. Next, find a way to convey their trustworthiness through images
or text. For example, some sites post employee bios that tell about family
or hobbies.

Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate
for your purpose).

We find that people
quickly evaluate a site by visual design alone. When designing your site,
pay attention to layout, typography, images, consistency issues, and more.
Of course, not all sites gain credibility by looking like IBM.com. The visual
design should match the site's purpose.

We're squeezing two
guidelines into one here. Our research shows that sites win credibility points
by being both easy to use and useful. Some site operators forget about users
when they cater to their own company's ego or try to show the dazzling things
they can do with web technology.

If possible, avoid
having ads on your site. If you must have ads, clearly distinguish the sponsored
content from your own. Avoid pop-up ads, unless you don't mind annoying users
and losing credibility. As for writing style, try to be clear, direct, and
sincere.